A Stupid Spell, an Ignorant Boy, and a Smart Cat
by Daelyn Paolini
Summary: Light trips an ancient transfiguration spell that turns her in to a cat. And the nearest comrade to assist her is...Hope? Except he has no clue what he's getting in to when he finds the pink cat. Oh, Etro help her, because feline!Light is going to need all the help she can get to come out of this adventure alive- and hopefully human. *in-game/AT; requested by Darkflames and Fire*
1. Lover Boy

Light found herself very bored one day. She was supposed to be scouting ahead of the group in the northeastern portion of the Archylte Steppe that was infected with navidons, but she found herself wandering atop a Chocobo to the side of a very large and very steep steppe.

Absentmindedly, she began to stroke the Chocobo's neck, wondering how long it would take her friends to realize she was missing. Deciding it didn't matter because she was her own person and she was so bored, Light motioned for the Chocobo to jump, and it did so.

Before her was a winding path between two high cliffs. As she began her slow trek, she lost herself in the lovely hue of the rocks on either side of her, and of the grass beneath her feet. Everything around her was a color she had never seen before. They were muted, but at the same time, oddly flashing microscopic details Light would have never noticed otherwise.

"Whoa," she breathed to the large fowl beneath her, halting it by tugging at its golden feathers.

Before them stood a small valley with a monstrous Ochu sitting at the far end and to the left of the gap where her path continued on. The sheer size and ugliness of the beast shocked her inert. Would it notice if she walked by it? She immediately struck the question down. It had its offspring crawling around its feet. The thing was probably hyper aware to thwart any possible danger. As if anything would dare challenge that incredible beast.

With no option but forward or retreat at her disposal, it was against Light's nature not to attempt to get past this valley. She ushered the Chocobo along, running against a slight breeze that wafted in from the unseen tops of the high steppes. It carried the scent of the monsters around her, the flourishing nature around her, and something strange that she couldn't place in such a setting. She escaped the threat of the Ochu with a simple roar for a warning. Sighing, she slowed down as she entered the familiar hue of the dim-bright shade of the path.

When she approached another opening in the path, she realized what that strange smell was. Ruins.

The sight was amazing. Stone pillars half buried in the dirt rose high above her on her left. A small ridge ran along the wall at her right until it curved around and hid behind a large stone building. Monsters crept along the yellowing grass of the ruins, kicking up dust and barring their teeth at each other. On the far side to her left was the opening of yet another path that was raised at least twenty feet into the air. The sky above the archeopolis was like a clear, crystal blue ceiling in the far away distance.

As much as Light didn't want to abandon the safety the Chocobo's speed and agility gave her, she figured it was for the best to set the Chocobo free and spare it a gruesome fate amongst these monsters. On her own two feet, she slowly walked through the yellowed grass, careful to leap from one monster's blind spot to another's. Soon, she was walking up the steps of an ancient ruin, which twisted around the square and half-sunken building. However, the thought of the inside of the ruin peaked her interest.

Inside, the ruin was dark and a charcoal grey. The air was chilly from the stone and the lack of sunlight, but she found it comfortable. The sound of the monsters outside was muted to a dull roar from where she stood. Just as abruptly as the light turned to shade inside this building, so was the ruin filled with a dazzling bright light that blinded Light and knocked her to the ground. She screamed, heard a strange screech from somewhere nearby in the ruin, and silenced herself immediately. Lithely, she leapt behind a pile of rubble in a corner, searching for the source of the noise.

A hair-raising bellow startled Light. She whipped her head around, preparing to find a Cieth stalking its way into the ruin, but found herself still alone. Where had that unbearably loud noise come from? That was when she realized that it was the same battle that had seemed muted moments before. Why was it suddenly loud again? Perhaps the sound seemed to reverberate off the walls differently from this angle.

Light attempted to stand and analyze her surroundings, seeing as how she actually was alone, but quickly discovered that she was already standing. On four legs. That were pink. And covered in fur.

She was a cat.

* * *

Hope was reluctant enough to see Light go off and scout by herself as it was. And when she was an hour late, he was a little more than worried, if he was being completely honest. Fang said she would be fine, that it was Light they were talking about and she could take care of herself. Certainly that was true. Hope didn't doubt it. But he was utterly terrified at the thought of an Adamantoise stepping on her, an Amphisbaena ambushing her, or a Cieth sneaking up on her. It would break his heart if she disappeared, because she was his heart. He was head over heels for her, consumed by the biggest crush he'd ever had.

So naturally, after another hour had passed, Hope was genuinely scared that something had happened to her. He paced along his side of the camp around the fire, attracting the attention of his fellow l'Cie.

"Hey, what's the problem, Hope?" Snow sat up and looked at Hope with a distressed expression.

"Lover boy here is worried that Light won't come back," Fang jeered. Vanille giggled at her words, covering her mouth.

"Oh, really? Well, I think she'll be just fine. You know how Light is: she refuses to give up anything, including her life." Snow rolled one of his shoulders, hoping to encourage his younger friend.

Hope wasn't satisfied with this at all. What if something honestly had happened to her? What if she was in trouble right now and everyone just assumed she could get out of it? Hope knew how bad it was to have things assumed about a person. People assumed him to be weak and useless, when in fact he was very useful in his own ways. He wouldn't let assumptions get in the way of him helping Light. He refused to let that happen. And since no one else seemed to want to help Light, he would go off by himself and tell Light what was on his heart. With iron determination and a slightly faltering expression, Hope stood apart from the throng of his friends and faced them all.

"I'm going to look for Light."

Snow jumped to his feet and caught Hope's shoulder. Fang and Vanille glanced up with anxious attention.

"Are you sure about this?" Hope stared at Snow for a long moment, then nodded his head with finality. "Then I'll come with you."

"No, thanks. I-I want to do this on my own." Snow watched Hope for a second, analyzing him and wondering if this was the best thing to do. In the end, Snow thought it would be best for Hope to do something by himself for once (and gathering coconuts didn't count). A learning experience of sorts.

"Sure." He smiled and affectionately patted Hope's head. "I expect you back by sunrise, alright?

Hope set off for the northeastern region of the Archylte Steppe, the part of Gran Pulse Light was supposed to have scouted. The night was dark, the stars were twinkling, and the diurnal monsters were replaced with ferocious nocturnal ones. He thought if he didn't find Light soon, he'd be in a heap of trouble getting back by himself.

* * *

**A/N:** This was supposed to be a one-shot request fill for Darkflame and fire, but I decided to make it into a short multi-chap fic. Chapters won't be too long, nor will the overall length of this story. Supposed to be light-hearted and with only mildly serious undertones.

Enjoy and review.


	2. A Pink Cat Sitting on Light's Underwear

Light was aggravated by her situation, to say the least. Her clothes and weaponry were in a heap on the floor, she lacked thumbs, and she couldn't speak. Oh, she had tried. She tried so hard to form words in her small mouth, but only squeals and odd hisses issued from her. Her tongue and mouth just wouldn't work the way they ought to.

She pranced-to her dismay-to a nearby window. She hopped onto it easily enough and gazed out into the Haerii Archeopolis. She immediately regretted this action. A nearby goblin saw her as an entrée, which she did not appreciate. It leapt at her through the window, so she darted out the door and lost it around the ruin. Figuring that pink would stand out all too well, she eventually headed back to the building after half an hour of patiently waiting with her tail twitching.

The hole in the stone floor seemed only slightly suspicious; it was an old building and there were plenty of monsters roaming about. However, the transformation she had undergone was altogether too unnerving. Why did she turn into a cat? Was what happened to her a relic of magic from the long-passed age of the Pulsian people? A spell, a trap, left to guard something? There was no other reason to place such a debilitating spell on a person otherwise. A spell for jest wouldn't be meant to last for however many centuries this one lasted. So the answer was in the hole in the ground. She had to go down there.

As she fumbled with this idea, it became clear to her that she wouldn't be able to fix this herself. She would need help. But how could she survive the long trek across the Archylte Steppe by herself, and as a house cat no less? That's when she heard someone outside calling a Chocobo to a stop. Her ears pressed against her skull as she recognized the voice.

Through the window, she could see Hope dismounting the Chocobo she had ridden, sending it on its way through the cliffs just as she had. As much as she grew hot and bothered at the sight of him, because she hadn't had the most appropriate dream about him the last time she slept, she was still annoyed that he had been the one to find her. Of all the people, it had to be the one she wanted to impress the most. It had to be him to see her in this weakened state. No matter. If this was her lot, she would have to make due, because she wasn't going to humiliate herself in front of all of her comrades.

Hope seemed to take the same liking of the building she was in that she had.

"Hey, Light, are you over here?" He looked around the dark landscape of the Haerii Archeopolis, not bothering to worry about his safety. The monsters would take notice of the defenseless boy soon if he wasn't careful.

_Hope, be quiet!_ She begged her voice to come out as she thought it, but released a strangled cry instead. She would hate cats even more after this endeavor was over.

Hearing the piercing noise, Hope made his way toward the building, garnering the opposite effect Light hoped for. Curious and ignorant, she thought. She looked over to the pile of her clothes, hoping to maybe play a successful round of charades with Hope. How to go about-

Another strangled cry rang out when she noticed her underwear sitting on top of her skirt. Her bra, skirt, shirt, and vest were laying in a ring around it, practically giving it a pedestal. She leapt onto her panties, much to her disgust, hoping to cover them with her slim body. As full grown as she was, the pile of clothes was large compared to her.

As soon as Hope's frightened countenance rounded the corner into the building, Light went rigid. He seemed utterly stumped by the image in front of him.

"Okay, a pink cat sitting on Light's underwear wasn't what I was expecting." He looked at Light with a skeptical and curious expression, unsure of how to proceed. "Oh, hey, she does wear a bra." Light's hackles rose and she nearly hissed at him. Just because he made her insides tingle didn't mean it was okay for him to be thinking about such a thing.

She meowed loudly at him and trotted over to him, hoping to cover as much of her panties as she could when she kicked her clothes up with her back legs. She circled Hope's ankles, nudging against them, then ran back to sit on her clothes again. She meowed once more, begging him to comprehend her motions.

"Hey, come back here," he cooed and stuck the back of his hand out at Light, "you're a cutey, aren't you?" She let him pet her and run his hands along her spine, but then she circled him twice more and sat on her clothes again. She thought he had a very thick skull and lacked imagination. Didn't he know it was entirely possible for someone to spontaneously turn into a cat? "You're a funny cat, what're you doing here?"

_Exactly, what would a _pink cat_ be doing on Gran Pulse?_ She would've arched an eyebrow if she was human.

"You're emotive," he laughed. So he had noticed her expression. She noted the use of this. "Would you happen to know what happened to my friend? Did you see her by any chance?" He stood up and placed his hands on his hips. "And why, for the love of the Maker, she's running around naked." He rolled his eyes, blushed, and sighed.

Light decided that since they didn't seem to be getting anywhere with charades, and that making him think about a naked twenty-one-year-old wasn't the best thing to do right now, she meowed at him and circled his legs. She nudged him toward the hole in the building and pranced to the other side of it. She swished her tail at him and cocked her head.

"Is she down here?"

_Yes!_ Light meowed desperately, doing anything she could to convince him to go down the hole.

"You're a helpful cat, you know that? Might just keep you if you survive this adventure." He smiled at the cat, then cast a fire spell to light the darkness beneath them.

With the ability to see much better than any human, Light bounded down the rubble at the first sight of the rocks. Her newfound agility and sense of balance was startling and wonderful. She'd never been so ready for an attack as she was now. She trotted down the corridor, Hope having lit a dusty torch with his fire spell, hoping beyond hope that she wasn't wrong about the solution to her predicament being down here.

* * *

Hope didn't know what to think about the cat, but he thought as long as she was useful, why not keep her around? She seemed to know how to find Light.

He dusted his bangs behind his ear and passed the torch to his opposite hand. They had been walking for what felt like hours, and Hope didn't know how much more he could take. Didn't they carve in a bench or something down here? Or passageways? Why was this hallway leading in one direction, that he thought might have sloped downward at a nearly unnoticeable rate. The air seemed to grow more chilly the longer they walked.

"Hey, cat, do you even know where you're going?" Light spat at his words and continued walking. "Jeez, alright. I'm just starting to doubt you is all. We've been walking forever down this endless hallway and there's no- hey, look! Light!"

She turned to look at him, hoping he finally realized who she was, but then found he meant the orange glow at the end of the tunnel. She felt a surge of disappointment hasten her footsteps.

Once they could see the distant rock wall on the other side of the obviously large cavern that was covered in scattered and burning torches, Hope and Light both sped up to a sprint, the latter hoping for a cure and the former hoping for a companion. Both of their faces fell when they saw what was actually in the titanic cavern. Light hissed at Hope, blaming him for this, and sat down dejectedly.

"I really take back what I said about endless hallways." Hope spoke as if he wished for a higher power to intervene and help them. Fat chance, Light scoffed.

His mouth fell as he eyed the hundreds of passageways lining several dozen protrusions in the rock side, even in the cliff beneath them. Light glared up at Hope, who glanced down helplessly at the cat. "I didn't know," he whined. Light looked down at the passageways again and seemed to sigh.

Feeling like a failure and an idiot, Hope sat on the edge of the cliff they stood before and rested his knees on his thighs and his chin on his hands.

"You know, I was hoping to tell Light something after I found her," he mumbled into his palms, "but I might get lost in here and die before I ever get the chance."

Light was curious about this something. What could he have to tell her? She walked up to Hope in an attempt to console him and rubbed her cheek against his forearm. She began to purr once he stroked her back and scratched her chest. She hoped he was understanding that she was trying to comfort him.

"I'm in love with her, you know?" His whisper was so quiet, she could have mistaken it for a breeze. However, as soft as his voice was, it contained so much warmth and admiration that Light was struck still at the sound of it. She could practically feel the love he felt for her radiating off his pale skin.

She looked up at him in wonder. He was absentmindedly petting her, his mind obviously elsewhere, his green diamond eyes focused on a point in the distance. She felt her heart double in speed, a warm tingling sensation enveloping her small furry body.

Maybe being a cat had its advantages after all.

She climbed into his lap and napped, hoping her presence was of some comfort to him. She wouldn't let him get lost in here. Whatever it would take, they would get out of this maze. She was sure of it.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope everyone found this chapter satisfactory. I'm a bit skeptical. I keep feeling like it's getting worse and that Dark Flame won't like it. It really worries me. Either way.

Any flirting tips people would like to share with me? They are very, _very_ welcome. I'm attempting to woo a guy, and uh…I'm pretty inept at these things.

Peace and review.


	3. It's So Dark and I'm So Cold

Light lay in Hope's lap as she contemplated his words. He had said he was in love with her. Hope was in love with Light. She felt her lips curl up in a smile, though she imagined it probably looked strange on a cat. She found herself purring, leaning in to Hope's hand as he pet her.

However, her mind brewed a dark storm. They were here, underground, with the possibility of dying if they got lost in these passageways. All because she wanted to be human. But she couldn't imagine Hope abandoning this mission. If he really was in love with her, then he would stay down here and search for her until he found her. Even if she was the one sitting in his lap right now.

She hopped from his lap and meowed at him, then began her descent down a flight of stairs to their left. She flicked her tail at him when he shouted for her to slow down. He quickly caught up with her, understanding her behavior, so she leapt onto his shoulder. Careful not to claw him, she hung on to his shirt collar, observing the world from a height she hadn't been in many years.

She brought her nose to Hope's cheek and sniffed.

"Ha-ha! Hey, watch it. That tickles." Hope's shoulders rose to his ears as he laughed.

Light nearly fell off, so she backed away from his face. He was much more open and comfortable right now than he ever had been. She thought him adorable. But then other thoughts, doubts mostly, permeated her happiness. She shouldn't think about him in any way other than a fourteen-year-old comrade until she was human again. There was too much at stake.

Then a sound jerked her from her reverie. It was a curious sound that confused her. Could it be what she thought it was? The whooshing grew louder as they walked farther along the cliff side. As they passed a passageway, Light could swear she heard the sound as clear as day from down the dark path. Now she knew what she heard was real. It was crystal clear. The sound of rushing water.

She accidentally scratched Hope's neck, who cried out and cursed under his breath, as she flew through the air for the passageway. She ran down the pitch black corridor, sprinting as fast as she could, the water now a rushing waterfall in her ears.

"Hey, cat! Wait! Stop! What are you doing?" Hope ran as fast as he could, trying his hardest to keep up with the cat, but she was faster than he was.

Dark as it was, Light could easily sense the rock walls around her, the floor beneath her, and the boy behind her. But somehow the darkness grew so black that she couldn't even feel the walls around her anymore. It was a frightening blindness that encompassed her. She was terrified. She had never felt so helpless before. She skidded to a halt, afraid that she might run into something.

Hope didn't notice her hesitation to move forward. He unknowingly bolted past her for several yards. And then he yelled, and the yell grew quieter as it persisted. And then silence.

* * *

Hope was shocked awake by a sickening pain in his left ankle. The pain was needle sharp and stole his whole focus. He grasped at his ankle, missing it once in the blinding blackness, but quickly found it and held it. He felt like it would shatter into a million pieces if he let it go. He winced and moaned, then heard something thump on the ground not far from him. He caught his breath.

The cat meowed loudly, and Hope could hear her moving around in the darkness, trying to find him. So even she couldn't see. That wasn't as nearly relieving as he hoped it would be. In fact, that notion struck him down with fear.

"Curasa," he whispered, holding his hand over his injured ankle. He didn't see the ghostly green light, but he felt the icy fluid of relief gush from his ankle and up his leg.

Once the cat had found him, she rubbed her cheek against his forearm, then sniffed down his body to his ankle.

"I'm fine. I healed myself." Hope looked around him, but couldn't see anything. If it wasn't for the rough ground beneath him, he would have felt like he was floating in oblivion with no sense of direction. It was dizzying. "I'm gonna light a fire, so you might want to watch out, cat." He carefully brought himself to his feet and held his hand out at a safe distance. He was nervous he might hurt himself.

However, when he said the incantation, and even felt the heat of the flame, the darkness did not retreat. If anything, the darkness grew more powerful, thicker, and seemed to suffocate him. He was stunned and quickly became a nervous wreck. What kind of trap were they in? The heat of the fire instantly disappeared as he spoke his next words.

"Hey, do you hear that?" For a moment, Hope thought he heard rushing water.

But then it turned into a haunting melody. It was the sound of a song that crept into his subconscious and ruled his dreams. It was the sound of a song his mother would hum when she was in an exceptionally good mood. Sometimes the beat would change, because she tended to forget the song. It wasn't popular in mainstream scenes, but it was popular back at home.

The melody was sweet and sent tearful pains to his heart. He felt his chest constrict, a lump clog his throat, and his head throb. Tears pricked his eyes, begging him to let them dance down his cheeks, invisible in the pitch black.

"Mom," his voice cracked.

Light did not notice Hope's tension. Earlier, she found that she was able to smell it, but as soon as Hope asked if she heard something, Light concentrated on a faint sound coming from their right. Her hackles rose when she could clearly hear the singsong voice.

"Li-ightning," the beautiful voice sang, "oh Li-ightning. Where did you go? It's so dark and I'm so cold. I'm sinking. I'm sinking, Lightning. I can't hear mommy and daddy anymore. I think they've-"

An ear-grating hiss issued from Light. This sounded like Serah, smelled like Serah, had the memories of Serah, but it was not Serah. Serah was crystallized. This could not be her. Light could smell the magic dripping from this sound. She bit Hope's ankle, who shouted and hop-stepped away from her.

"Hey!" He shouted. "What's your-"

Suddenly, the walls around them began to shake violently, as if they were heaving. And soon it began spitting out boulders and sharp pebbles that cut Hope's skin. He threw himself to the ground, feeling around for the cat. When he found her, he stuffed her into his shirt and huddled against a quivering wall, covering his head with his arms.

He never knew a fear like this. Dying alone, in the dark, unseeing, unknowing. It could happen any minute and he wouldn't know, and that's what really scared him. Not knowing. He would die at any moment, and as a failure. A failure who couldn't save Light. She was probably just as alone and helpless as he was, and he could do nothing to protect her.

Something heavy and hard slammed into the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. His last thought was that he had failed.

He had a dream that he was at home with his mother, waiting for her to finish cooking dinner. She had made spaghetti and meatballs, but wouldn't let him eat until the garlic bread had finished toasting. He complained about how he could wait for the bread, but she insisted. She insisted that their meal be complete when they started eating.

He tapped his finger on the marble countertop, impatiently waiting for dinner. He was starving. When he looked back down at his finger, still tapping the counter, he found that he couldn't hear it. It could feel the cool marble, feel the vibration of the impact in his hand, but he couldn't hear the _thump thump thump_ he heard at first. It was if everything was muted. Except his mother's lovely voice.

She hummed that ghostly tune as she pulled out the pan from the oven. She looked up at him, still humming that beautiful song, and then changed the beat of it. She took the oven mitts off her hands, set them aside, and began filling his plate with food. She wouldn't stop singing.

He opened his eyes with a sob and bolted upright. He was sweating, and angry, and hungry. His stomach rumbled and he glared down at it.

"I-I can see," he said with a thick voice. He raised his hand to brush away something soft that tickled his face. He touched tears instead.

Light looked up at him, worried, a shape of dark rose pink in the dim light. She sat next to his legs, intently watching him. She wondered what he had dreamt about to make him cry out like that- to make him cry, period. What had he heard just before the collapse of the cavern they were in? She knew it had haunted him to this moment. She could sense his fear, his anxiety, his great sadness.

"My-My mother," he whispered. "I dreamt about my mom. She was cooking me dinner, and she was humming her favorite song. She always did that. And-And before the collapse, I heard her humming it. I heard her." He clamped his eyes shut when it became difficult to keep the tears back. And when he couldn't shut them in any longer, he tried to dust them away before they could get too far down his cheeks. But eventually he gave up. And cried. And heaved. And sobbed. He missed his mother. That was all.

Light went up to him and rubbed her cheek against his arm again. She tried so hard to comfort him, but quickly grew angry with herself because she couldn't properly soothe this wounded boy like she so desperately wanted. Her aching heart went out to him, empathizing with his pain. She knew the hurt of the loss of a parent. She knew that hurt all too well, more than she would wish on anyone.

The moment was sad and long and filled with Hope's sobs. Light knew he had never had the chance to mourn his mother's death, so she thought it only right to give him this time to grieve. He would often mutter for his mother in his sleep. She heard that almost every night, and it made her go to sleep with pinpricks in her eyes. It wasn't right that he had suffered so much. It wasn't right that he was alone when he released this pain. He needed someone to hug him, someone to care for him, someone to show him love, that he was not alone. Because he was not. And Light would show him that as soon as she could.

She remembered crying like this for weeks on end every night with Serah after their parents' death. It was an agonizing time in their life that Light hated to look back on. Their parents' death had created a huge black hole of wasted days in their life. Those were the dark, unrememered times that gave them refuge from the bottled pain. Hope did not have that relief.

"I miss her so much. She was my everything. She understood me. She could talk to me. She loved me. She cared for me. Now all I have left is my dad, and he never really talked to me- before. What'll happen now? He'll blame me. He'll-He'll say it's my fault that she- my mom-" He bit his lip and stopped talking.

Light sat in his lap again, nuzzled against his neck and licked his chin, but still felt helpless. She was wrong about being absolutely helpless in the blinding blackness earlier. This was true helplessness. She could do nothing for him in this body, nothing that she wanted.

And she just wanted to love him.

* * *

**A/N:** I hope that wasn't too creepy for some people. I mean, I don't intend for this to seem like bestiality (it's absolutely not supposed to be that), but I just want Lightning to comfort him so bad. So I'm having her do this stuff. So don't say anything nasty in your review. Anyway. I know this is kind of sad. But. Necessary, I guess.

Peace and review, please~


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